Meetings

Meetings must have the following:

  • A clear purpose or objective. Typically this means that there is a decision that needs to be made, and the options need to be reviewed and discussed.
    • If the purpose is to share information, consider whether a meeting is the best way to share that information. Will the information need to be shared again at some point in the future? Then a meeting is probably not the best way to share that information.
    • Side note: this is often where agile practitioners goes wrong; although agile principles generally value conversation over documentation, documentation might be the best choice if the context, content, and outcomes of the conversation need to be shared.
  • A clear outcome. Either (1) a decision was made, or (2) it was determined that more information is required, and the decision will be postponed to a later date (i.e. the principle of last responsible moment).
  • The right participants.
    • If someone with critical information is not available, reschedule!
    • If someone is invited but not there to provide information or participate in the discussion, consider letting them leave!

Principles for Meetings (and Communication in general)

  1. Prefer asynchronous decisions wherever possible.

  2. Value clarity over complex or clever communication. Choose language or diagrams that are concise and easy to understand. Consider your audience.

  3. If there are materials that must be read or understood before making a decision, distribute them before meeting. Let everyone parse the materials on their own time.